Rather, he succeeds admirably in relating events “as the participants themselves experienced them, using their own words where possible” (3). Another example is Bushman, Richard ( Joseph Smith and the Beginnings of Mormonism ) Google Scholar who, though identifying himself as a believing Mormon and taking issue with what he considers unfair or uninformed a criticisms of the Book of Mormon, nevertheless does not attempt to prove Joseph Smith's divine call. Instead, she seeks to present “the dramatic and human elements of his story, to show the warmth, spirituality and joyousness, for which his people loved him, his foibles, his implacable will and something of his complexity” (ix, x). For instance, Hill, Donna ( Joseph Smith: the First Mormon ) Google Scholar, who produced the first major biography of Mormonism's founder since Fawn Brodie's, avoids conclusions about Smith's authenticity as a prophet. Most scholars remaining outside the above categories do so not by positing a new theory regarding Smith, but by focusing on questions other than the truth or falsity of Smith's claims. Virtually everyone else who takes a published stand holds either the second view (e.g., Arbaugh, George, Revelation in Mormonism ) Google Scholar or the third ( DeVoto, Bernard, “The Centennial of Mormonism,” American Mercury ) Google Scholar. 2 The bulk of practicing Mormons adopt the first position (scholarly examples are found in Reynolds, Noel, ed., Book of Mormon Authorship: New Light on Ancient Origins ) Google Scholar.
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